Boris

Boris was formed in 1992, reaching the current lineup of Takeshi, Wata, and Atsuo in ’96. Ever since the beginning, the members of Boris have explored their own vision of “heavy” with a unique methodology and stance that could almost be called aloof. A slender female guitarist who sings dusky melodies, a shadowy vocalist swaying with a modified guitar/bass double neck, and a drummer with a gong at his back who at times cries out both curses and supplications as he presides over the ritual…

Though Boris adheres to an unrelenting heaviness in everything they do, “thunderous roars” and “explosive noise” are too light of words for their singular musicality that can’t be confined to a set genre or style. Using overpowering soundscapes embellished with copious amounts of lighting and billowing smoke, Boris has shared with audiences across the planet an experience for all five senses in their concerts, earning legions of zealous fans along the way. Boris plays every day even when they aren’t touring or doing a show. As a result of single-mindedly delving into their sound in studio jam sessions and recording every bit of themselves, they now have a discography that includes 30 full albums like the iconic Pink (’05), Smile (’08), and Noise (’14), as well as nearly 20 collaborative works like Altar (’07) with Sunno))) and Gensho (’16) as Boris with Merzbow. All of their limited edition albums released with meticulous detail sell out almost instantly, and their already massive catalogue of albums shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Boris’ compositions have also been lauded for their visual aspects that have garnered attention outside of the music industry. This in turn has led to them providing songs to films such as The Limits of Control (’09) and Confessions (’10), as well as three newly written tracks and one freshly recorded track for Ninja Slayer From Animation (’15), thus amassing a whole new layer to their fanbase. In recent years the members of Boris have emphasized balance and mutual interaction, moving away from the grid in a shift towards a more organic style of musical composition and live performance.2017 marked the 25th anniversary of the band’s formation and saw them release their latest album Dear that summer.

Boris would then embark upon their largest-ever world tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary, with the final date held at Shindaita Fever on September 22, 2018. However, this was not a sentimental finale so much as the roar of a new beginning.

Boris will continue their own musical creation and destruction while conjuring up fresh horizons.